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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Evangelical Christians are Vulnerable to Deception and Spiritual Abuse

Knowledge of solid Biblical doctrine will not protect or shield a person from spiritual deception. Many Evangelical Christians, including those who participate in Christian apologetics (defending the truth of the Christian faith with the Bible as the standard) believe that they are insulated from deception and spiritual abuse. Note what Dr. Harold Bussell has to say about how vulnerable just such a belief can render a person highly vulnerable.

Believing that one is impervious to spiritual deception actually puts a person at high risk for deception.

Note: Because cults and spiritually abusive systems use identical techniques of manipulation, those involved in exit counseling often use the words "cult" and "spiritual abuse" or "aberrant teaching" or "cultic" interchangibly. A group may profess sound basic Biblical Christian doctrine, yet employ these manipulation techniques, therefore certain groups use these terms interchangably. From a standpoint of social interraction and psychology, a group is defined as a "cult" not because of doctrine but in terms of manipulation and exploitation of followers.

Many evangelicals who are drawn to cults are not drawn because of beliefs or doctrine but because of similarities to Christianity which we value as marks of spirituality. the members of the People’s Temple never expected to end up in Jonestown, as Mel White so clearly illustrates in the movie Deceived. It is easy for us, as churches and as individuals, to write off these groups and try to remove by remote control our responsibility to face our own vulnerability to cultic deception. If you think you or your church is not vulnerable to these dynamics, you are most vulnerable.

Thought Reform @ Church?

Concerning Things Cultic within Biblical Christianity

Spiritual Abuse describes the process by which a religious authority misuses power and the trust of their flock in order to meet their own needs or the needs of the system.

Many evangelical churches with sound and solid Biblical doctrine can be considered aberrant or "cultic" when they practice techniques of manipulation and thought reform.

Please read here concerning the many different aspects of this type of manipulation and spiritual abuse including development, practice and recovery from the phenomenon.

The blog title emphasizes that Christians live under the unmerited favor of God (grace) as opposed to earning favor with God. The notable aberrant and cultic system established by Bill Gothard redefines grace as something merited through the good work of submission to authority. Grace cannot be earned through submission to any law and comes by unmerited favor through faith alone!